Like many parents, I returned to work from mat leave when my child was 11 months leaving her in the care of Sonia (affectionately known as SonSon). I had looked around a few nurseries but didn't feel the baby rooms in them were quite the right fit for my daughter. Sonia's home from home environment was exactly what I was looking for and, as I had hoped, my daughter soon formed a strong attachment to Sonia.

Sonia is a dedicated childminder and she goes to great lengths to make sure the children have a wide range of experiences and plenty of opportunity to mix with larger groups of children. The outings have been fabulous: splash parks and waterfalls in summer, woodland walks, play groups, libraries, Odds Farm, national trust properties, my daughter even visited Kew Gardens and the Gruffalo trail with Sonia.

Sonia spends time developing language and early literary and numeracy skills and my daughter has benefitted greatly from this, leaving for preschool with some letter and number recognition and showing signs of being able to write part of her name.
Sonia runs various themed activities which my daughter has loved. I was particularly impressed that she did an age appropriate activity discussing the American Civil rights movement which was very well done.

If you are looking for a home from home setting with regular outings, great early education and plenty of social opportunities, Sonia will be a good fit for your family. My daughter and our family can't thank Sonia enough and I look forward to my second child starting at Sonia's when I return to work.

• Overall
• Setting
• Cleanliness
• Food
• Communication